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Will a Ticket Affect My CDL

Oh, no! You’re driving your personal or commercial vehicle when you suddenly see blue and red lights flashing behind you. As much as you hope that they are not meant for you, they are. By the time you drive away, you have one or more tickets. If you have a commercial driver’s license, a traffic ticket may obviously affect your career and the status of your license. Keep reading to find out what happens when you receive a driving ticket with a commercial driver’s license.

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Type of Ticket Received

The severity of your consequence depends a lot on which type of traffic ticket you receive. Some offenses disqualify you from keeping your CDL and from ever applying for one again. This includes serious offenses like operating a motor vehicle with a blood-alcohol level above the accepted limit, committing manslaughter with a vehicle, leaving the scene of an accident, and using a commercial vehicle in the commission of a felony. In fact, many felonies are grounds for loss of a commercial driver’s license.

However, other tickets may not have such serious consequences. For example, speeding a little bit or parking incorrectly may not be an issue unless you get multiple tickets for the same offense over a period of time.

Multiple Tickets

Even if you never get driving tickets that are considered serious on their own, receiving multiple tickets can eventually spell bad news for your commercial driver’s license. This is legislated on a statewide level, so you may wish to consult your CDL handbook to find out how many tickets in what period of time may result in your license getting revoked.

In some states, for example, getting two or more tickets in a six-month time period may result in the temporary suspension of your commercial driver’s license. Getting more tickets in a shorter time frame may result in your CDL being permanently revoked.

Your Driving Patterns and History

When employment and insurance decisions are being made, employers and insurers often look at your driving history. If you have one or two tickets over a ten-year period, they are not likely to affect your driving career significantly. However, if you consistently receive tickets on an annual basis, this may indicate to employers that you are a reckless driver. Even worse, insurers may decide that you are not worth the risk, leaving you unable to get insurance for a commercial vehicle.

If you are found to be a risky or reckless driver, you may have difficulty obtaining employment as a truck driver. Though you may technically keep your commercial driver’s license, you may not be able to use it in your employment. As a result, it is extremely important to follow the rules of the road and always be aware of the speed limit whenever you are driving, whether you are driving a personal or commercial vehicle.

Driving a commercial vehicle is a big responsibility. Because of that, standards are higher for commercial drivers than for personal drivers. Though one ticket may not affect your driver’s license, it is worth your career and your license to be as careful when driving as possible.